Adrian woman muddied for good

Friday

ADRIAN — Rachel Ries of Adrian wants to get the word out on a fun event that aims to help her mother and others living with Multiple Sclerosis.

“On Aug. 4, I will be returning to the mud for the annual MuckFest MS,” Ries, a student at Siena Heights University, said. “This is a fun mud run with amazing obstacles for an even better cause.”

She said the goal of this event is to raise not only awareness for MS, but also funds to continue MS research through the National MS Society.

This year’s event is at Willow Metropark in New Boston. It features a five-kilometer course with a number of “mucktastic” obstacles, ranging from a giant slip-and-slide, to a massive A-frame cargo net.

“Overall, the event boasts 17 obstacles, though you are able to walk around or skip some if, like me, you’re afraid of heights,” she said.

She’s doing it for a good cause and for good reasons. When she was 8, her mom was diagnosed with MS.

“Since then we have been navigating the waters together,” she said. “We have our hard days, as do all families that face a chronic illness. For the most part, however, we are a very normal family. We spend time together while fishing, my mom comes to my lacrosse games, and we love to spend time with my siblings and niece.”

MS is an autoimmune disease that attacks the brain and spinal cord. It creates lesions that often are characterized by dark spots in either location. There also is a slowing of nerve responses due to the creation of “holes” in the myelin sheath covering the nerves.

“The disease may create a number of side effects, ranging from mildly annoying to debilitating,” Ries said. “Some of those include tingling in the arms, legs, or feet, total loss of feeling in one or more extremities, loss of fine or gross motor skills, loss of vision, partial or total paralysis.”

She said this disease “has brought a whole new layer to our relationship.

“There are many things that most people take for granted that my mom either can’t do or needs help doing,” she said. “Some of these activities includes getting dressed, tying her shoes, going up and down a flight of stairs, eating and picking up my niece.”

She said her mom, who is 51, “is doing as well as can be expected.”

“She had spinal surgery in early May and is recovering well from that,” she said.

This is Ries’ third year running the event. The first year she ran by herself and the past two years she has built a team with the help of friends and family.

“I originally heard about it on Facebook, but it has become a staple in our summer,” she said, “and we typically start planning for the day in December when we are able to register, though registration and fundraising peaks in June and July.”

Anyone is interested in joining her team or donating to the cause can visit main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/MuckFest/MIGMUCKEvents?team_id=541036&pg=team&fr_id=29910.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.